as in to disdain
to show contempt for
arrogant critics who contemn the general public's taste in art
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Recent Examples of contemn
Consequently, the Sadrists were contemned and discounted by Iraq’s liberal elite who form the core of the ICP.
—
Benedict Robin, Washington Post, 7 June 2018
Benedict Robin, Washington Post, 7 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contemn
Verb
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While some other schools have disdained it, particularly because of coaching searches and roster turnover and perhaps over financial costs that make bowls a wash or worse on the payday, Drinkwitz and MU don’t want to surrender the present to the future.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
18 Dec. 2025
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Matt is fighting against a woman who hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders, Transgender for everybody, men in women’s sports, and openly disdains Country music.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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We should all be so hated by Hollywood!—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
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Even though the audience hated it, Susan and I loved it.—
Jeremy Helligar,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sadly, too many of us have felt dismissed or disrespected by a doctor.—
Crystal Cene,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
-
After a year of Trump disrespecting European allies, many had wondered how much of the old transatlantic ties remained.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The production reimagines the titular character as Alice, a novelist who despises hollow contemporary mantras and faces backlash for speaking her mind.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The talent to look into a mirror and not despise the person staring at me.—
Keith McNally,
Vanity Fair,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If Damsky returns to law school, some classmates will treat him as a social pariah who deserves scorn.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
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Like a lot of messy divorces, this started with a wandering eye, a lover scorned and boils down to the money.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contemn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contemn. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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